Audiometers and Tympanometers

If your hearing’s not as good as it used to be or if you find yourself having trouble staying balanced when walking or standing, an audiometer or tympanometer can help your audiologist diagnose impairments within the ear. These devices are compact and may not look like other evaluation equipment, but their diagnostic ability speaks louder than words. 

Audiometry exams are designed to test your sound-hearing abilities. The tests are intended to determine your ear’s capacity for loudness and tone, and there are a variety of tests that can be completed by an audiologist:   

• Pure Tone Testing (Audiogram): This test starts with you wearing earphones that are connected to the audiometer. Your audiologist will use the audiometer to emit specific frequencies and volumes to your ears, asking you to signal when a sound is heard. Each time a minimum volume is found for a specific sound, it’s recorded for diagnostic purposes. Sometimes, this test can include bone conduction evaluation, in which a bone oscillator is placed on the mastoid bone.
• Immittance Audiometry: With this test, your audiologist will insert a probe into your ear and pump air through it to change your ear’s internal pressure as tones are produced. As sound is conducted within your ear under varying pressures, a microphone captures your evaluation results. Immittance Audiometry measures your ear drum’s function and the flow of sound through your middle ear.
• Speech Audiometry: Your ability to understand and repeat spoken words at different volumes is tested with this method. Your audiologist will most likely administer this test by having you wear earphones or a headset.
• Tympanometry: This test measures your ear drum’s vibration and the pressure within your middle ear. 

Audiometers and tympanometers are not meant to be self-administered, nor are they recommended for at-home use, so if you’re experiencing a diminished ability to hear, speak with your healthcare provider about an audiology evaluation.